Ecommerce in Germany was worth €58.4 billion in 2017

Ecommerce in Germany posted double-digit growth in 2017. The online retail industry in this European country increased by 10.9 percent to reach 58.46 billion euros at the end of 2017. Now, for the first time ever, every eighth of a euro spent in the retail sector comes from ecommerce sales.

Independent online and multichannel retailers grew, both in absolute figures and as a percentage, more than retailers who sell through online marketplaces. The latter continues to be the most important place of purchase on the Internet, though. This was announced by German ecommerce association Bevh.

Online marketplaces generate €27.9 billion in sales

Last year, the combined sales of multichannel retailers increased by 21 percent to reach 20.1 billion euros in online and mail-order sales, which is nearly 3.5 billion more than in 2016. Online marketplaces saw their sales grow 4.4 percent to 27.9 billion euros, while the total revenue of online pure players increased by 12.6 percent to 8.56 billion euros.

Gero Furchheim, president of Bevh, sees a good prospect for independent retailers. “With online excellence, these retailers are able to not only survive alongside, but also in cooperation with online marketplaces, and even to grow further.”

Impressive growth of ecommerce in smaller communities

Another study by Bevh also shows that almost 60 percent of online sales in Germany come from communities with less than 50,000 inhabitants. In these communities, sales increased by 17.1 percent in 2017.